Fearful Symmetry
by Overlithe77
Summary: A series of ficlets about Hama and Sozin, exploring parallels and connections between the two characters. All the stories are loosely linked and part of the same continuity, but each can be read on its own. See individual chapters for ratings.


**Title: Fearful Symmetry**

**Author: overlithe**

**Fandom: **_Avatar: the Last Airbender_

**Summary:** A series of ficlets about Hama and Sozin—my two favourite one-shot characters from the series—exploring parallels and connections between the two characters. All the stories are loosely linked and part of the same continuity, but each can be read on its own. See individual chapters for ratings and other details.

**Characters/Pairings:** Sozin, Roku, Hama, Kanna; gen

**Prompt:** fanfic100 prompt 021. Friends

**Word Count:** 961

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and concepts created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and owned by Nickelodeon and various other corporations/people. I only own the DVD sets and a copy of the art book, and I'm not making any money and do not intend any copyright or trademark infringement. The title comes from the William Blake poem _The Tyger_ ("Tyger! Tyger! burning bright/In the forests of the night,/What immortal hand or eye/Could frame thy fearful symmetry?").

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**i. Best Friend**

'And this is my room,' Sozin said. Roku remained in his corner as Sozin finished pacing the span between two walls. 'You can come here whenever you want, you know.'

Roku nodded once, faint, and went back to looking at the spot on the floor just in front of his feet. Sozin opened his mouth to speak but something small and hard inside him pulled it shut again. He stepped over to the canopied bed and ran a finger over the scarlet-and-gold pattern on the silk coverlet. 'Do you like being here?' His gaze didn't leave the dragon scales unfurling on the fabric. 'It's OK if you don't. You can tell the truth.'

'It's a great honour to be chosen as—' Roku began in a tone of rote learning, then trailed off. Sozin knew what he was going to say: for the past year, ever since he had turned eight, his parents had more than once summoned him from the schoolroom or the practice grounds to meetings with matchmakers. His interest had perked up when the grown-ups had talked about fated companions, then soon flagged again as the talk had turned to signs from the fire and the stars, and dimmed even further when, his father's hand sometimes aiding his, he had been directed to compose endless letters about entwined willow branches and pairs of turtle-ducks swimming together.

He sighed and stepped closer to Roku. 'I know. We have been chosen by fate to be a doushun pair, companions for life. We're so fortunate. And all that.' He shrugged. The words seemed colourless in the presence of the other boy, who was real flesh and bone, a handspan taller than him and with the same golden-brown eyes as Sozin's own father. 'It must be hard, coming all that way and leaving your family to live here.'

'No,' Roku said hurriedly, then looked at Sozin again and his mouth curled into a sliver of a smile. 'A little.'

'Yeah,' Sozin said. For a moment neither of them said nothing. Dusty sunlight poured in through the shutters and latticework. 'It's all right,' Sozin said at last, and reached for Roku's hand. 'I'm your brother now, so you can tell me when you're sad. Can you firebend?'

'Yes,' Roku said, a sudden spark in his voice. His hand was hot and dry against Sozin's. 'My teacher said I'm really good.'

Sozin beamed. 'I'm supposed to be really good too. I know—I'll show you the stuff I can do, and you can show me the stuff you can do. How about that?'

Roku's smile shone like a diamond in the dark. 'Let's go.'

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Kanna had not thought that two lands of ice could be so different until she first laid eyes on the South Pole. When she sailed the last stretch of her journey in one of the Southern Water Tribe fishing boats, even the winds and the light glinting off freshly calved icebergs seemed different, wonderfully new.

The songs, however, were much like the ones at home, songs of the spirit lights and the sea and carved whale-bone. If she closed her eyes, she could be back in the North Pole.

Except for the salt-edged air, which, she was sure, had never smelled this fresh.

Near the end of the first week, she sat watching the waterbending practice while she worked on a seal hide. She had been taken in with little complaint: the two Tribes were kin, after all, and she was a hard worker; for now, she was staying with Kukka, who kept watch over the sacred pools deep under the ice and rock, when she wasn't methodically chewing some pickled fish.

Even so, there was always something new or different to draw her attention, like the spin and twirl of water under the endless summer sun.

The girl at the front of the group pulled back the water whips she'd used to handily defeat her opponent, then the students gathered back together and bowed to their instructor. The woman gave them a half-nod, half-shrug, then dismissed them. The group began to scatter. Kanna gathered up the hide and fell in next to the girl, her heart still beating a steady rhythm under her throat; the whole thing had been rather exciting to watch.

'That was really good,' Kanna said.

'Thank you,' the waterbender said, with a hitch of breath, her eyes glittering like ice chips. Sweat pearled her forehead. 'You're Kanna from the Northern Water Tribe, aren't you? My name is Hama. Are you a waterbender too?'

'I know. And I'm not. I just wanted to watch. In the North Pole, women don't learn that kind of waterbending.'

Hama glanced at her. 'Really?' She let out a puff of breath and the two of them walked mutely for a few seconds, the only sound the crunch of snow underfoot. 'So how did you come all the way to the South Pole?' Her eyes were wide with curiosity, and Kanna couldn't help but enjoy the thrill that ran down her skin, the fact that this girl who could make water and ice do her bidding was seemingly fascinated by her, plain, practical Kanna.

'I walked, mostly.'

Hama blinked. 'All the way across the Earth Kingdom? That sounds so—'

'It's not as big as you might think,' Kanna said, but even though she finished with a shrug, her smile was as unyielding as a wall of winter ice.

'I was going to say "amazing".' Hama looked away. 'I don't think I could ever leave the South Pole.' Kanna was going to reply, but Hama was looking at her again, eyes still shining, her smile surprisingly shy. 'Will you tell me more about it?'

+/+/+

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**Notes:** If you want to know more about doushun relationships, something which I created (based on RL sources) for my personal canon, there's a lot more about them in my fic _Fortunate Son_.


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